Through Time Eternal
by Vanacorien
Summary: CountD hosts a large selection of rare creatures from al around the world. But when a ginger haired buissnans man come requesting the legendary Dragon of the east, not even D can predict what will happen.


Through Time Eternal

By: Vanacorien

Prolog:

The temple of the black Dragon of the east.

China year of our lord 1896

Fei-Hu leapt quietly but quickly up the last few onyx steps the stone feeling extremely cool against his large padded paws. The bracketed torches that normally lit the entryway into the main receiving area of the temple were snuffed, not too long ago from the coiling wisps of smoke that ghosted in the air. There were many scents surrounding the temple tonight, besides the customary incense there were smells that reminded him of darkness and pain. It smelled of humans, of the pungent smell of sweat and urine that soured his nose and made him sneeze. There was a spicy scent to the air as well. Not the one he customarily associated with his lover but one that alarmed him greatly, for it reminded him of the cannons used for battle and blood shed.

He snorted through his nose, trying to clean the stench from his nostrils as he slowed his bounding steps to that of a stalking walk. He walked, briskly and quietly through the darkened halls of his lover's temple seemingly a shadow in the dark, eyes and ears alert for any sing of movement. There was none. The red and golden halls of the great house were shone in darkness as the moon poured in through slats of the open roof. His lover normally had his entire palace lit, not having a liking for the dark despite what he was.

As he continued down the corridors of his lovers home his unease turned to coiling fear and anger. Some foul play was afoot in this place and with out a doubt it revolved around the powerful being him self. As he approached the arched doorway to the private rooms of the dragon god he heard noises from beyond the heavy doors. Fei-Hu paused out side the great doors, obstacles in his path as he listened through them.

His stomach tightened and he hissed through his teeth as his ear recognized the source of the sounds from with in the room. The voices of men, some raised some whispered but the jittering of the ill little creatures would have gone unnoticed to the great god but for the context of their debacle. "Are you mad? You cannot take him!" Fei–Hu narrowed his eyes his mind spinning in thought. To whom was the creature referring? Was it a trap set for him? To lure him hear in a chance to slay him? Surely these mortals did not think them selves capable against a full blooded god?

"I can, and I will." Said a silken voice. The words washed over Fei-Hu like and oil slick as he recognized the other man. It was Lu-Tien, guardian and high priest of this temple. "The black dragon will grant fortune and long life to any who posses it," he continued. "And I intend to do just that." Fei-Hu's brows furrowed in anger and incredulity at the bold statement. So it was not a trap for him, but rather a plot to attack his lover? With an angered hiss he felt the surge of his power as he threw open the great doors to reveal the conspirators in the room.

He growled his rage loud and ferocious to the mortals before him, most simple peasants and some dressed as priests of the same temple whose god they were speaking of betraying. He stepped into the room. His power radiated off of him in coils as he approached the men who cowered before him. "What treachery do you profane this house with Lu-Tien?" He eyed the head priest of his lover's temple with disgust as the man gave him a slightly worried smile and laughed.

"No treachery profaned oh, lord." He said mocking Fei- Hu with his tone and a tilt of his head. "But treachery preformed. You're lover shall serve me now oh great tiger. You have no more claims to him." Fei- Hu's eyes widened in rage and shock. He growled low in his throat and tensed his muscles for the jump that would land him directly in the humans face as he hissed between his impressive fangs now barred to the gum. "Bold words for an ignoble swine, we shall see what becomes of them!" He flew through the living area with a vicious snarl he leapt, poised to land amongst them and shred them to pulp.

Some screamed terrified, and fleeing from his path while the priests all closed their eyes and began a quiet chant. Suddenly his body stopped the force with which he had been flying suddenly leaving him suspended in the air. He roared enraged at this trickery and struggled to free him self from his invisible bonds. Bonds! The vile creatures had bound him! As his struggles renewed he looked to Lu-Tien finding the priest to be watching him with a small smile on his cunning face. "Swine!" He roared enraged at his capture, struggling to free him self. He poured his energy against the power holding him immobile but to no avail. "I will break free from this! You are too weak to hold me, and he will not have been gone for long!"

At this the head priests smile turned wide and he clucked his tongue in disapproval. He stood in front of Fei-Hu his eyes shining blackly in malice. "Really my lord, so slow for such a usually astute creature. The spells that bind you are not some childish binding spell. They were made to hold demons and creatures of wrath." He glanced at Fei-Hu and chuckled. "And right now you are basically one and the same. And do you really not see your lover here? You are usually sharper than this, I am disappointed." Fei-Hu narrowed his eyes and growled at his captor. "What non-sense do you speak? If Jun-huan were here you would not be alive!"

"Oh, but he is here. In the physical sense, just not in a way you would expect him, have a look." As he spoke the priests below him chanted a little louder adding new words to the spell so that, slowly, Fei-Hu rotated to the left so that he may look through the screens that covered the door way to his lover's bedroom. His heart froze at the sight before his eyes as two of the commoners (the only two who had not fled in terror) pulled the screens back to reveal his lover in human form. He lay upon his bed, his normally golden skin now a sickly yellow was stark against the white sheets. His hair normally bound back tightly was scattered around him in a water fall of raven locks as he lay still as stone upon the scarlet coverlet his chest rising and falling only barely.

Fei –Hu shook his head in denial only once then turned his rage and shock upon the mortal man to his right. "You bastard!" He raged and struggled all the more. "What have you done to him!" Lu-Tien smiled a coldly pleased smile. "Not a thing to worry your self over my Lord," He said smoothly. "After all, the black dragon is of no use to me dead. You on the other hand . . ." He sighed and shook his head. "I am afraid you future is very dim. You see you have been sold to an, acquaintance of mine for lack of a better word. And so I'm afraid to say that your own health should concern you more now." Lu-Tien summoned one of the men who had opened the screen and mutter a few words to him. The man bowed quickly and left.

Fei-Hu growled at the human glaring at him with all of his might. As he struggled to push his power against the humans holding him he glanced from Lu-Tien to Jun-Huan and back try to think of a way to save his lover. Slowly the power holding him still began to strengthen freezing his muscles to the point where breathing became hard. He began to lose concentration on his power and of sudden objects began to fly from around the room. A vase of red lotus flowers shattered on its stand and the flowers fell to the floor in a spray of pottery and water that looked like blood as it puddle around Lu-Tien's feet.

Lu-Tien smiled coldly at him and raised his right brow. "Do not tell me you intend to defeat me by hitting me with flowers?" Fei-Hu growled at the mocking human when an idea struck him and he grinned revealing his fangs as he panted for breath. "If not flowers," he wheezed concentrating his mind on as much power as he could. "Then perhaps bringing the temple down upon you would accomplish my goal!"

He surged his power putting all that he was worth into channeling enough energy to collapse the room. The priests below him began to chant louder their words becoming frantic as they tried to hold the binding on his power. Fei-Hu would not be stopped as he bulled forward putting all the strength he could muster into his attack. The walls and ceiling groaned under the pressure as the room was sent into chaos. Candles and lights flickered crazily and the seams of the walls began to crack and chip. Lu- Tien's eyes went wide then narrowed and his lips curled back in a snarl as he began to chant and add his own power to the spell subduing him himself.

After what seemed like hours but was only minuets Fei-Hu heard the sound of foot steps through the corridors of the temple. He smelt the tang of gunpowder and the spice of fresh blood mixed with old. Seconds later he felt another presence enter the room and heard a human voice speak a strange tongue. Lu-Tien frowned at the intruder and snapped some thing back in a similar manner trying to keep his power focused on binding him as well as the other human.

Fei-Hu could not understand the words flowing from the traitorous priests mouth for it took all his concentration to keep breathing and to keep exuding his power. When the wall to the right of him began to crack, Lu-Tien motioned the intruder over and hissed some thing to him in that other language. Slowly a man came into view from the corner of his right eye. He was as pale as milk with a long arched face. He looked to be no older than twenty some thing years of life and had ginger hair greased so that it lay flat atop his head and wide wondrous blue eyes. He carried with him a strange looking weapon a combination of metal and wood that exuded the smell of gun powder and smoke.

Lu-Tien motioned to him and then to Fei-Hu and a smile spread across his face again. With a start Fei-Hu realized that the foreigner was to take his life and he roared with his anger and discontent surging his power the more. The temple groaned with the force and one of the priests below him stopped his chanting and fled eyes wide and terrified. The foreigner shook and hastily stepped back. Lu-Tien just cast a satisfied look towards Fei-Hu and spoke loudly to the ginger man again.

As the foreign man raised his weapon bracing it on his shoulder Fei-Hu looked past Lu-Tien to his lover, unconscious upon the bed that he had hoped they would share that night after their love making. Small bits of debris plaster and wood were raining down from the ceiling landing around his lover though the god didn't stir. He closed his eyes and prayed in his mind that he may posses the strength to do what needed to be done.

A single shot rang in the room, and everything fell silent.

It was one of the most interesting and curious finds made by the late 19th century Kushrenada's. The family's only heir Duke Adrian Kushrenada had taken and expedition to China to hunt the rare beasts and see the sites. What he returned home with was the pelt of a seven foot tall 450 pound tiger. Duke Kushrenada refused to disclose exactly where he found and slew this great beast but many said that he had help from a man named Lu-Tien Hon. A business man who had just very recently become very wealthy through the international stock exchange. Some say that it was luck that earned the duke his amazing prize, but in truth it was only the destruction of a love not known to any man, a love that would follow it's own into eternity.

And that's where our story begins . . .


End file.
